Chocolate chip donuts (Déjà vu)

Well...here we go again! We find ourselves in the midst of another snow storm. As I type this, there's a good feet of snow on the ground and another half-dozen or so inches expected before dawn. This one snuck up on us.

Another snow day, another batch of donuts...

The little one had a half-day at school today and it'll be a delayed open or, more rationally, a full snow-day tomorrow. The last snow day we had was little more than two weeks ago and if you recall, we kept busy by finally breaking in our donut pan and making donuts together for the first time. It was fun because donuts are not only tasty but so pretty to look at. Turns out, we found that baked donuts are easy to make and awesome to eat, too.

So this is where the déjà vu comes in. With the afternoon ahead of us, I thought it'd be fun to do it again. I wasn't planning on making donuts (and thus post about it) again so soon but it was such a good snow day project last time that I thought of it again today.

After that first batch two weeks ago, the little one and I had a few other varieties in mind to try. Being very much like his mother in this kind of thought process, the varieties essentially boiled down to...chocolate, or adding more chocolate! So this time, we made chocolate-chip donuts.

We very closely followed the recipe from last time but omitted the nutmeg altogether and added one-third cup of miniature chocolate chips into the batter. Mini chips are definitely the way to go here and I like using it in cupcakes and muffins in general. I made things even easier by using plain melted butter this time instead of browned since the chocolate chips give us plenty of extra flavor. With the same easy chocolate glaze, these came together quickly and the little donut chef was very pleased!

The white nonpareils were our ode to the snow day

The little one loved these so much that I think we'll be making this version for a while to come. The pure vanilla-chocolate flavor is familiar and the moist spongy donut itself just make for a great package.

These donuts were ready by the time the little one's dad walked in the door from work. After a long and messy commute, dad was hungry and more than ready for some donuts. He raved endlessly about them, as dads/husbands are supposed to do. Needless to say, the donut chef and I were very satisfied with our second donut project.

The last time we baked donuts, we were outrageous enough to use the extra chocolate glaze for dipping on the side. These chocolate chip donuts have enough chocolate going on that we didn't need that this time (though "need" and "want" are two different things). Not liking to waste, I reduced the amount of glaze I made for this batch of donuts and that is reflected in the recipe below. It will still be more than enough to dip your donuts in.

And while we're on the subject of not wasting, I got an idea from my friend Kelly at Life Made Sweeter, who made beautiful red velvet donuts recently. She had extra batter and used it to fill a mini bundt pan. This is the part where I wish I had a mini bundt or an individual mini mold or liner on hand today. Since I didn't, I grabbed my muffin tin and made a muffin with my extra batter (it just takes an extra couple of minutes in the oven). It's great to have this little bonus muffin though washing my muffin tin afterwards wasn't quite as fun. : )

- For 6 baked donuts (you will likely have a little extra batter left; consider filling it into a mini cake pan like a bundt or an individual baking cup or mold) -

For Donuts:

1 cup all-purpose flour

3/4 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/3 cup sugar

1/3 cup miniature chocolate chips

2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

1/2 cup buttermilk, at room temperature

1 large egg, at room temperature

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

For Chocolate Glaze:

1 cup powdered sugar

3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder

Pinch of salt

2 to 3 tablespoons (or so) milk

3/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Sprinkles, or other toppings of your choice, for decorating

Make donuts: Lightly spray a 6-cavity donut pan with cooking spray. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and position a rack in the upper third of the oven.

In a bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and sugar. Whisk in the mini chocolate chips to combine.

In a measuring cup or bowl, whisk together the buttermilk, egg, vanilla extract, and melted butter.

Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and stir together until just combined. Avoid over-mixing. Fill each donut in the pan (I use two spoons) about three-quarter full with batter, smoothing the top. Bake until a cake tester inserted inside comes out clean, about 8-10 minutes. Check early and avoid over-baking.

Make glaze: Sift powdered sugar and cocoa powder into a medium bowl (you can also try just whisking the two together if you do not have large lumps). Start by adding 1 1/2 tablespoons milk and the vanilla extract. Whisk together. Add more milk, as needed, to make a thick but still fluid/pourable glaze.

Dip fully cooled donuts in the glaze, top side down. Set on a wire rack and add sprinkles or other toppings (don't wait too long to do this since glaze will begin to set). Let glaze set before serving. You can store any leftover donuts, covered, at room-temperature for about 2 days.

I love that you got to make donuts with your little guy again - he must have been so happy :) Your chocolate glaze always looks so mouthwatering - I've gotta try making these ones next time - they look amazing and so moist and the sprinkles look so pretty too:) Aaw thanks Monica, glad you were able to use up the extra batter for muffins, that's such a great idea too! We got hit with the storm again too, hope you all stay safe and warm for the next few days:)

Thanks for the inspiration, Kelly! The little one is practically fist-pumping himself on these. He just loved this batch with the choc chips, minus the nutmeg. They were really moist and fluffy. I think more chocolate just makes everything better! : ) I need a mini bundt! : )

Aww what a lovely snow-day project! These donuts look amazing, and I love the double chocolate addition. You can't go wrong with it, right? ;--)They look so fluffy and moist that I think I'm trying this recipe next time I'm making muffins. Yay! <3

I love the way these donuts look with the mini chocolate chips! Such a great combo with the base and chocolate glaze ... I may need to try these in my mini muffin tins to make little little ones! (I don't have a donut pan yet...)

I'm sounding like a broken record but these seriously came out so well...a soft fluffy moist vanilla base with loads of chocolate. It was a big hit with us! : ) Btw, I can't even imagine a mini donut pan. I feel like one of these is already so small, I'd go cross-eyed trying to make mini's. That said, I'm sure it's worth it because mini things are just so darn cute!!

Pamela - the only thing that might trump these choc chip donuts in my little one's mind might be your ridiculously moist and delicious-looking chocolate ones. I'm thinking about that right now! : ) Somehow making and looking at donuts is a very beautiful thing...who knew!

donuts may be the most fun snowy-day thing to do ever: you inspired me to get out my own donut pan to make my Wee one pumpkin donuts a few days ago when she was home (no snow day for her, officially, but her mother decided that she didn't want to brave slick roads for 4 hours of school...not worth it). ;) such a fun project for her, since she got to mix and pour ingredients, and for me, because anything that keeps her occupied, is delicious, and lets me get things done at the same time is always a win, as i'm sure you know. :) She would love this version: she LOVES chocolate frosted cake donuts, so these may be our next home-from-school project.

We are honored to have inspired you guys! My little guy was not much into "helping" in the kitchen when he was younger so I'm really excited that he's shown so much more interest these days. I bet your wee one is such a great helper...I can picture it. : ) It's fun to have these quick projects to do that you can pretty much decide spur of the moment without a lot of previous planning. In our house, more chocolate equals more happiness so this was bound to be a winner! : )

What a lovely excuse to switch on the oven on a snowy day! More importantly, when you're in such great company. The doughnuts look delightfully cute! Why have I never thought of adding chocolate chips to the batter. Loving the doughnut frenzy! I can relate to you coz it was the same way for me when I discovered baked doughnuts:-)

I love that you have a little donut chef helping you along. I know your husband appreciated these after one of those lovely snow covered commutes. It's cold here too and a donut would be perfect right now!

My husband got relatively lucky with his commute that night. Many people were waiting/standing on buses for 5 hours to get home from NYC to NJ. Yikes! It was good timing for donuts and the little one got to enjoy it with dad so that was even nicer. : )

Yep. I'm going through my in box :) Love these little donuts! I don't have a donut pan but these snow day projects are making me think. Tell your little guy I'm very happy he's rooting for the Broncos :)

I never would've thought I'd like the little donut pan as much as I'm starting to! On football, can I just tell you the little guy picked these 2 teams for the Super Bowl a couple of months ago! Go Broncos (and they'll be here in NJ!)

So glad your little one gets to experience snow days this year! As opposed to the bummer of a winter last year. I still need to break in my new donut pan. I can't decide what recipe to use but this one looks so good! My hubby loves chocolate chip things...and that frosting, oh my does it look good!

Snow day #6 is coming our way tomorrow...no place to put any more snow! I am all for a few snow days per winter but enough - please bring on Spring! We're over the limit on school snow days so it'll chip away at Spring break and that's a bummer...

On to happier topics, we are having fun pigging out on snow days. : ) My little guy would highly recommend this choc chip recipe...I'm just sayin' : )

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Thank you for visiting my blog, where I journal some of the results of my sweet (and sometimes savory) creations in the kitchen! It's all about having fun, learning from others, and enjoying the fruits of your labor with those you care about.